Sweetwater's Donut Mill was founded by the Garner family in 1983. The donut shop chain started with one location on Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo. The second store was opened in 1986 on Capital Avenue in Battle Creek at the I-94 Exit 97. The third was our Sprinkle Road store in Kalamazoo which opened in 1989. Since then, Sweetwater's hasremained family-owned and managed and has gained national recognition as one of the "Best Donuts in America," by MSN City Guide and AOL. All three Sweetwater's locations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Over the past 35 years, many entrepreneurs have inquired about franchising Sweetwater's Donut Mill across the United States due to the brand's popularity and financial success in West Michigan.

• Ranked in the top 10 Best Donut Shops in America by Business Insider – June 2017• Ranked Best Donut Shop in Michigan by Best Things Michigan – April 2017• Ranked Best Bakery in Michigan by Yelp – Buzzfeed March 2017• Ranked as the 6th best bakery in the mitten by “Best of Michigan” February 2017• Ranked Best Donut Shop in the state of Michigan by Yelp in October 2016• Mentioned in Around Michigan's Droolworthy Donut & Pastry Shops December 2015• Mentioned on Roadtrippers.com as a Kalamazoo destination• Ranked in the 2015 top 9 Best Late Night Eats in West Michigan, best 3 in Kalamazoo, by WOTV 4 Women• Ranked in the 2015 list for the top 33 Best Donut Shops in America by Thrillist.com• Ranked in Around Michigan’s Top 4 Droolworthy Donut & Pastry Shops in December 2015• Ranked in October 2015's list for best 50 donut shops - Listed as Michigan's #1 Donut shop by Thrillist• Ranked in the 2015 top 10 in The Culture Trip's Best of Local Food, Kalamazoo• Voted #2 in the state of Michigan by Mlive's best donut search for March 2014• Ranked in the top 10 in April 2014 on MSN Local's 10 favorite donut dealers coast-to-coast!